Director of Smithsonian’s African American Museum stepped down, antiquities dealer Leonardo Patterson died, Estate of Faith Ringgold and Brazilian artist Dalton Paula join new galleries
AWARDS & HONORS | April 2: Sheela Gowda received the 2025 Sam Gilliam Award. The Dia Art Foundation and Sam Gilliam Foundation announced the award, which includes a $75,000 gift and a public presentation at a Dia location in fall 2025. The Sam Gilliam Award was established in 2023 and Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama was the first recipient. Gowda, the second, lives and works in Bengaluru, India. She is “known for her evocative, process-oriented practice that blends painting, sculpture, and installation” and often works with “everyday and organic materials—such as cow dung, hair, incense, and tar drums—imbued with cultural and political significance.” | More
LIVES | April 3: Leonardo Patterson, 82, was a dealer of Latin American antiquities active in Miami, Fla., and New York, before moving to Germany nearly four decades ago. He died in Bautzen, Germany, on Feb. 11. According to his obituary, Patterson “rose improbably from rural poverty in Costa Rica to the towering heights of the global antiquities market, despite accusations that he trafficked in fake and stolen artifacts — and who fell precipitously when those accusations proved to be true…” | New York Times
APPOINTMENTS > | April 4: Kevin Young (right), director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) since 2021, is no longer serving in the role. In a statement, NMAAHC confirmed his departure on Nov. 4, citing his desire to focus on writing. While leading the museum, Young continued simultaneously to serve as poetry editor of The New Yorker, a position he has held since 2017. Young had been on personal leave since March 14, according to reports, prior to Trump issuing a March 27 executive order targeting the Smithsonian and NMAAHC. Shanita Brackett, associate director of operations at NMAAHC is serving as interim director of the museum. (Photo by Melanie Dunea) | Washington Post and New York Times
AWARDS & HONORS | April 7: The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College recognized Amber Esseiva with its 2025 CCS Bard Alumni Award at CCS Bard’s spring gala in New York. The award honors “an outstanding graduate for sustained innovation and engagement in exhibition making, public education, research, and a commitment to the field.” Esseiva is currently serving as interim head curator at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. She earned an M.A. in curatorial studies from Bard in 2015. | More
APPOINTMENTS > | April 8: The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens in Jacksonville, Fla., announced the departure of Director and CEO Andrea Barnwell Brownlee (right). The museum said she submitted her retirement, effective May 1. Brownlee joined the Cummer Museum in December 2020, from the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, where she served as director for two decades. “I have been honored to lead the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens and am proud it is increasingly regarded as a vibrant cultural hub of Jacksonville that is welcoming to all,” Brownlee said in a statement. “I am excited about devoting more time to my family and pursuing other interests. I wish the Cummer Museum, its Board of Trustees, exceptional staff and docents all the best.” CFO Kimberly Noble will serve as interim director and CEO. (Photo courtesy Cummer Museum) | More
APPOINTMENTS | April 8: Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town, South Africa, announced nine new members of its global council: Dr. Anita Blanchard (USA), Chicago gynecologist, philanthropist, and collector; artist Dave Ross (USA), Holly Peterson (USA), writer and arts philanthropist; Jessica Nowitzki (Sweden), collector, philanthropist and President of the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation; artist Michael Armitage (Kenya/UK); Sarah Arison (USA), president of Museum of Modern Art in New York; Makole Mupita (South Africa), co-founder of Mahlako A Phahla Group, an African women-owned social infrastructure group in advisory services, financial services and alternative investment management; and artist Otobong Nkanga (Nigeria/Belgium) and Wim van Dongen (The Netherlands/Belgium), her husband and studio manager. The additions bring the council membership to 27 people. | More
SANLÉ SORY, “Belle de Jour,” 1974 (gelatin silver print). | © Sanlé Sory. Courtesy Yossi Milo, New York
ACQUISITIONS | April 10: Seven artworks from the Dallas Art Fair were added to the permanent collection of the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA), including “Belle de Jour” (1974), a photograph by Sanlé Sory of Burkina Faso. Sory’s work “documents of the exuberant youth culture in Burkina Faso following the small West African nation’s independence from France.” The art fair and DMA announced the acquisitions, which are part of the Dallas Art Fair Foundation Acquisition Program. Launched in 2016, the program has provided $965,000 in acquisition funds. This year’s grant was nearly $100,000. | More
AWARDS & HONORS | April 15: The Guggenheim Foundation announced its 100th class of fellows, including 198 recipients across 53 disciplines. Each 2025 Guggenheim Fellow “receives a monetary stipend to pursue independent work at the highest level under ‘the freest possible conditions.'” The 32 Fine Arts fellows included Coleman Collins, Azza El Siddique, Theaster Gates, Midred Howard, and Charisse Weston. In the Photography category, 17 were recognized, including Dionne Lee, Accra Shepp, and Carla Williams. | More
Dalton Paula. | Photo by Jhony Aguiar, Courtesy Dalton Paula
REPRESENTATION | April 15: Dalton Paula (b. 1982), above, the Brazilian artist, researcher, and educator is now represented by Lisson Gallery (London, New York, Los Angeles, Beijing, Shanghai). The announcement said, “Paula foregrounds the lives of undocumented Black figures whose contributions to society have been overlooked. Through his practice in painting, photography, video, performance and installation, he helps preserve and continue bodies of wisdom and communities hidden or forgotten by official historiographies.” Paintings by Paula were prominently featured the international exhibition “Afro-Atlantic Histories” and one of his portraits graces the cover of both the Brazilian and U.S. versions of the exhibition catalog. In September, Lisson Gallery will present new work by Paula in a solo exhibition in New York. Paula also works with Martins&Montero (São Paulo, Brussels) and Cerrado Galeria de Arte (Brasília, Goiânia). | More
AWARDS & HONORS | April 16: The TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2025 list was announced, spanning artists, innovators, titans, icons, leaders, and pioneers. Prominent figures who are transforming culture, science, business, and politics, the dynamic group includes artist Mickalene Thomas; author Percival Everett; chef Kwame Onwuachi; playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); tennis champion/entrepreneur Serena Williams (who graces one of five covers); Angeline Murimirwa, who heads the multinational Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) in Africa; and Duma Boko, President of Botswana. Thomas is among the Innovators included on the list. Alicia Keys paid tribute to the artist, whose work is represented in The Dean Collection, the expansive collection of contemporary art she shares with husband Kasseem Dean (Swizz Beatz). Keys said, Thomas is “constantly creating new lanes, breaking boundaries, and exceeding expectations. She plays in all realms—photography, painting, video, fashion, furniture—and creates stunning, dynamic worlds in every one.” Thomas’s international traveling exhibition “All About Love,” is currently on view at Southbank Centre in London, through May 5. | More
AWARDS & HONORS | April 16: The long list of 30 artists nominated for the 2025 Sobey Art Award was announced by the National Gallery of Canada. Representing six regions across Canada, the long list includes Charles Campbell (Pacific), Charlotte Battle (Prairies), Chukwudubem Ukaigwe(Prairies), and Sandra Brewster (Ontario). Six shortlisted artists will be revealed June 3 and featured in a fall exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada (Oct. 3, 2025-Feb. 8, 2026). The winner will be announced Nov. 8 and receive $100,000. | See Full List
REPRESENtATION > | April 16: Jack Shainman Gallery announced its exclusive representation of the Estate of Faith Ringgold and the Anyone Can Fly Foundation. Artist, activist, author, and educator, Faith Ringgold (1930-2024) died April 13, 2024, at the age of 93. A profound and pivotal figure in the New York art world, she was best known for her powerful political paintings and narrative story quilts. Jack Shainman plans to present a solo exhibition of Ringgold in November at the gallery’s new Tribeca location in New York. | Culture Type
APPOINTMENTS | April 17: The Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Ky., is welcoming Diallo Simon-Ponte as the inaugural Sam Gilliam Assistant Curator of Artist Programs. A writer and curator, Simon-Ponte will lead the museum’s new Sam Gilliam Visiting Artist Program. He starts in May. | Culture Type
AWARDS & HONORS | April 23: The shortlist for the 2025 Turner Prize is out. In London, Tate announced four British artists vying for one of the most closely watch artist prizes in the world: Nnena Kalu (b. 1966), Rene Matić (b. 1997), Mohammed Sami (b. 1984), and Zadie Xa (b. 1983). A group exhibition showcasing the shortlisted artists opens in September at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford, UK. The winner of 2025 Turner Prize will be announced Dec. 9 at a ceremony in Bradford and be awarded £25,000 (about US $33,000). The remaining shortlisted artists each receive £10,000 (about US $13,000). | Culture Type
APPOINTMENTS | April 24: The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts in Los Angeles added three members to its board, which now numbers nine. The newly appointed members are museum leader Lisa Mark, and artists Ken Gonzales-Day and Cauleen Smith. Smith lives and works in Los Angeles. Her film, installation, and performance work “reflects upon the everyday possibilities of the imagination.” She earned an MFA from UCLA and is a professor of art at UCLA’s School of the Arts. In 2023, Smith served on the selection committee for the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts Organizational Support Grants. “It’s truly an honor to participate in the project of expanding and deepening our community’s understanding of Mike Kelley’s work,” Smith said in the announcement. | More
PERFORMANCE | April 29: Kamasi Washington will inaugurate the new David Geffen Galleries building at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art with unprecedented performances on June 26, 27, and 28. The Los Angeles composer, bandleader, and saxophonist is bringing together more than 100 musicians to perform his highly acclaimed work Harmony of Difference. LACMA announced Washington’s composition—which is comprised of six suites—will be performed in its entirety for the first time, never to be repeated after the performances. The performances will offer the general public an opportunity to view the long-awaited building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor, in anticipation of the grand opening in April 2026 when the galleries will debut complete with art installations. | More
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